Welding device.



M. B. LLOYD.

WELDING DEVICE. APPLICATlON FILED FEB. 23,191?- 1 ,Q93A86 Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

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M. B. LLOYD.

WELDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED FEB-23,1917.

1 93 ,486 I Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

5 a SHEETSSHEET 3. Fl t r Leashes.

, .MENTS, or ONE-HALF- TO THE ELYRIA a conronarron or 01:10, coaroaarron or 02:10.

THE STAND PARTS COMPANY, A

. WELDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedreb. a, rate.

' original application flled october 31, 1913, Serial No. 798,559. Divided and this application filed February To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, MARSHALL B. LLoYo, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Menominee,colmty of Menominee, and State of 'Michigan, have' invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Welding Devices, of whichthe following isa specification. V

My invention relates generally to mecha nism for welding elongated articles of Va? rious kinds and relates more particularly to mechanism for continuously weldin tubing. My present application is a division ofa prior application, Serial No. 798,559, filed by me October'31,"1913. I v

The generalobject of my invention isto provide mechanism wherewith elongated articles such as tubing and the like can be welded more rapidly, more economically, and better than is possible withmec'hanism hitherto devised. A further object of my invention is to provide slmple and durable mechanism wherewith Welded tubing of uniform strength and; superficial smoothness can be continuously manufactured.

Iy invention consists generally in an elongated endless vise formed to hold the work to be operated upon, and other means other, cent; to the two opposed elements.

for moving the work speed determined operation to be performed thereon.

through the viseat a My invention consists further in mechanism comprising an elongated endless vise formed to hold work'in condition to be operated upon and opposing thefwork, and means for drawing the work through the vise, against the opposition thereof, at a substantially constant rate of Seed. f;

My invention consists further in a weldin machine. comprising an elongated tubehold-. ing vise, consisting of two opposed elements, an V endless chain arranged/for movement aroimd each of the two opposed eleui'enta v portions thereof opposed relation and forming an elongated arranged and a welding torch 'by the character of the the movement of a is passed through a tube.

.. practice the tube is V I varlousother mechanisms which successivelymov ng into 'mechanisms are in 23, 1917. Serial No. 150,553.

My invention consists further unique arrangement, construction, and cooperation ,ofparts whereby the named above, and others which will hereinafter, be more readily understood by reference the accompanyin drawings wherein:

appear in the objects Figure 1 is a p an view of mechanism em bodymg my inventiq Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. v1;

Fig; 3 is a cross-sectional tiallyon theline 3-3 of Fig.2,

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively detail inner sideand end views-of the chain and vise blocl: shown in Fig. 3 for gripping the work; i

F 1g. 6 is an enlarged section of tube on l1n1e 66 of Fig. 2; and

1g. line 77 of Fig. 2.

In the formation of weldedtubing a great number of problems are presented, which ,rna ke difficult the rapid production of tublng which is uniform in stren finish,

size, and gage. I Afurther problem 'isadded when an attempt is madeto produce welded tubing contlnuously and at a rapid rate .of.

speed. I shall llm t my discussion here to the manufacture of tubing from strip metal,

but this, it should be understood, is donefor.

slmplicity in description. In order that the manufacture of such tubing. may be better understood, I. shallbriefly describe the manufacture. comes-from the'mills in-large bundles. The

bundle is placed upon a reel from which it several dies or rolls. A,

whlch-shape the strip metal into the form of The-resulting tube has a longitudiand to weld-this seam'a portion 'of g tube must be raised to' welding temperature and then subjected to considerable pres sure to unitethe edges permanently. 'In

often passed act upon of this is that a isrequired' to move the tube. -"The result erful pull anisms. The tubeforming and Welding view substam 7 is an enlarged section of tube on The strip; metal usually.

through efiect elements powerpowthe tube. through these mechanismsand particularly through the tube forming'and welding mechJ W" 55 are attainable, all of which will fully resisting the movement of the tube. The result of this resistance is that it is difficult when welding tubing of certain kinds, for instance, thin-walled tubing, to prevent the pulling mechanism from crushing or marring the tube. Since much of the welded tubing is used for purposes where a finished and polished tube is required, any indentation or marring of the surface makes it practically unsalable.

Another difficulty encountered, especially in welding tubing continuously by simply passing under a heating. element, is to prevent opening of the welded seam.

It is my purpose to provide mechanism wherew'ith the difliculties enumerated can be successfully overcome, to the end that uniformly strong and perfect welded tubing can be produced rapidly and economically. I shall now describe my unique mechanism wherewith the desired results are attainable.

Referring to the drawings, F represents a strong bench 0r table which serves to support the difi'erent mechanisms for acting upon the tube. The bench also usually contains other mechanisms for acting upon the rip metal, such, for instance, as the forming rolls or dies, A. At one end of the table I mount a unique welding device, B, and following this is an elongated cyclic pulling device, C, arranged to receive its motion from speed-reducing mechanism, D. The tube, T, which has been formed by the forming rolls or dies, A, contains a longitudinal seam, t, as it approaches the mechanism, B (see Figs. 1 and 3) whichis to be closed by welding. For convenience in description, assume that the pulling mechanism, C, is capable of pulling the tube through the forming mechanism and the welding mechanism at a. desirable speed and that it does so act. The welding-mechanism B, comprises two opposed elements, I), Ii, around which endless} chains or elongated cyclic Vises, b b, are arranged to move.' The elements, b b, are essentially of the same construction so that a detailed description of one will serve for both. They comprise a body portion, b, containing an annular or continuous groove, 6 In this groove, b", an endless chain, 1)", is arran ed for movement. The chain 6 has fixe thereto a plurality of vise jaws or blocks, 6', the shape of which is determined largely by the shape of the tube or article to be welded. Since I have shown a circular tube in the welding mechanism, I pro:. vide the block b with a semi-circular recess, b. In order to lessen the friction caused by the moving chain I interpose be' tween the chain and the body portion, 6,

anti-friction rolls, b". The elements, b and 6 are mounted upon a table, 6 for movement as will be described in detail hereinafter, to and from each other. By this a resistance of variable magnitude.

means any desired pressure may be put upon the tube as it passes therethrough or, in other Words, the mechanism, '13, as related to the pulling mechanism, C, is adapted to present At the mechanism, B, I arrange means for bringing the portion of the tube adjacent the seam to welding heat as the tube passes therethrough. The tube heating may be accomplished by various means. One very satisfactory means I find to be an oxyacetylene torch. Hence I have mounted a torch, 6. over the tube by means of a cross shaft, 6, supported on suitable brackets, b. The torch projects a flame upon the tube, raising the portions adjacent the seam to welding heat, whence they are joined by the pressure of the opposed elements 5 and b It is to benoted that I firmly hold the tube for a considerable lengthat the welding zone. This I find to be of great utility because after the tube is heated and ]o1ned by the means of pressure, it is held for a period sufiicient to permit the edges to become firmly set so that when the tube merges it has no tendency to open atthe seam. As a result of this I find that I can pass the tube under the welding flame at a greater speed than is possible where the tube is compressed at only a line during the welding operation and with the same torch and the same consumption of gas. Hence the cost of welding tubing is materially decreased with my novel elongated welding vise. Also because the endless chain and vise blocks move when adjusted as hereinafterdescribed, directly with the movable elements, 6 and b,- there is no lost motion between the parts and the tube screw b through both of the bases, so that by simply turning a screw any desired pressure can be put upon the tube.

Since the tube is pulled through the mec'hanism, B, by means of the pulling device, C, it is desirable and necessary that the working stretch of mechanism, 13,. be perfectly alined with the working stretch of the pulling device, C, to prevent bending or distortion of the tube. For this purpose I also provide means for moving both the elements, Z2 and 6 together without disturbing their relative position. This is accomplished by mounting the base upon another base, 6 which contains Vs, 1')", upon which the table, 6 may be shifted as a Whole. The table, 6 can be shifted by simple adjusting screws, 6 arranged at each side for-that purpose and perfect alinement of the mechanisms, B and C, is easily secured.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the tube-pulling or tube-forwarding device 0 comprises two endless conveyer chains operable over sprocket wheels, and to each link of the chains is attached a vise jaw. These sprocket wheels are caused to rotate by means of the motor through the gear mechanism D, and it will be observed that the vise jaws was they are carried around by the sprocket 'wheels gradually and successively approach each other until they grip and substantially inclose all of the tube T. I

In the manufacture of tubing, it'i's often necessary to stop the movement of the tubing for an instant to inspect it or to fix the welding flame or mechanism. This is usually for such a small period that it is not expedient to stop the entire pulling mechanism. {For this reason I prefer necting and diswnnecting the conveyer chains with thedriving mechanism, and for this purposeI provide on the shaft, 0 a clutch, 0 Fixed to the shaft, 0 is a gear, 0 which engages with one gear of the gearing, D, and whereby it is given its band, 0 The b motion. The gear, 0 contains an inner friction surface, 0 and for engagement therewith I provide an expanding friction and, 0 can be expanded by simply shifting the block, 0 on the shaft, 0 .For shifting the block,- 0 ,1

provide a stand post, 0 vertically supported in suitable bearings, 0 at the lower end of which is a fork, c fiwhich engages the block, 0 Hence by rotating the standpost, the clutch can be the machine. As considerable friction. contact is necessary, I prefer to provide along leverage for turning the stand-posn and for this reason mount a horizontal pipe, 0 at the upper end of the stand post. is forms for operating the clutch and one which is easlly accessible from any part of the machine and particularly from a position near the welding portion since much of the attention of the operator is directed to that mechanism. v

.For most welding purposes but'a slow constant speed movement of the tube is re;

quired, and for t reason a small motor,

properly geared, is suflicient to exert the pullrequired. The driv'ng mechanism, D, is mounted upon cross shafts, d d and comprises a number of gears, (1 zlfld, d, a! and li The member 03 is keyed .to the shaft, (l and meshes with the gear, (1 which loose upon the shaft, d and'which imparts motion to the gear, 01, bymeans of some part of the welding to provide a separate clutch for con-' thrown in to start binatlon with clutch, d". The gear, d", in turn meshes with the gear, diwhich imparts motion to the gear, d, by means of the clutch, d, and from the gear, d through the gear, d the gear member on the shaft 0 is rotated. The shaft, d is actuated by the motor, (1, through the medium of the belt and pulley, a? and d".

The mechanism here shown and described is adapted successfully to accomplish the objects stated in the opening of the specification, and it is believed that the many advantages thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains. Since various modifications will readily suggest themselves to others by this disclosure,

I do not wish to limit myself to the specific construction and use herein shown and described, except as may be necessary by .express limitations in the claims hereunto appended;

I claim:

1. In the machine of the class described, an elongated cyclic vise formed to hold the work in condition to be operated upon, in combination with other means for moving the work through said vise at 'a speed determined by the "character of the operation to be performed thereon.

2. In a machine of the class described, an elongated cyclic vise, formed to hold the work in condition to be operated upon and opposing the movement of the work, and means for drawing the work at a constant rate of speed through said vise against the opposition thereof.

In a machine ofthe class described, an elongated cyclic work holding vise, in combination with an elongated cyclic workdrawing vise operatively alincd with the first mentioned vise, ing said drawing vise. r

'4. In a. machine of the class described, an elongated cyclic work-holding vise formed to expose one portion of the work, in coman' elongated cyclic vise formed substantially to inclose the work and adapted to draw the work through the holding vise, and a torch for operating upon the work at the holding vise.

5. In a device of the class described an elongated cyclic vise comprising two.op-

posed endless chains, in combination withan elongated'cyclic pulling vise.

6. In a device of the class described, an

elongated cyclic vise comprising two opposed endless elements in combination with a. pulling vise comprising two elongated cyclic vise elements.

7. Ina device of the class" described, an

elongated cyclic work-holding vise horizontally disposed, in combination with a cyclic work-pulling vise comprising'two' elongated and means for operatstantially to inclose the work and progres- 'sively to grip new portions thereof.

10. In a welding machine, an elongated work-holding vise, in combination with a work-forwarding vise comprising opposed series of vise jaws, adapted to successively grip the work, and tube heating means at the work-holding vise.

. 11. In a welding machine, an elongated work-holding vise, in combination with a work-forwarding vise comprising opposed series of vise jaws, adapted to successively approach and grip the work, and means at the work-holding vise for raising the Work to welding temperature.

12. In a welding mechanism, the combination of an elongated cyclic work-holding vise comprising two endless chains, a. plurality of vise jaws arranged in opposed pairs on the chains, means for raising the work to 4 welding temperature, means for creating desired pressure on the work, and an elongated cyclic pulling vise for pulling the work through said work-holding vise.

13. In a device of the class described, an elongated work-holding vise comp-rising two cyclic elements, means for moving the cyclic elements to and from each other, means for raising the work to welding temperature, in combination with an elongated cyclic pulling vise alined therewith.

14. In a welding machine the combination of a tube holding vise comprising two cyclic elements movable to and from each other, a

torch for raising the tube to welding temperature and an elongated tube forwarding vise for moving the tube through the tube holding vise, and means for alining the tubeholdinfivise and the tube-forwarding vise.

15. a device of the class described, the

' combination of an elonggted tube-holding vise comprising two bloc -like elements, an elongated endless chain arranged to move around each element, a plurality of vise blocks arranged on each chain, the blocks upon one chain opposing those upon the .other and shaped to grip the tube witha portion thereof exposed, and a welding torch arranged at the tube holding vise to play a flame upon the exposed portion of the tube.

16. In a welding device, a tube holding vise comprising two opposed elongated elements,

an endless chain arranged around each element and carrying a plurality of-vise jaws, the vise jaws of respective chains forming 0 osed airs sha ed to the tube tlii eugh a consideraible dista i c dz means for moving theopposed elements bodily to and from each other, and means for raising the tube to welding temperature.

17. In adevice of the class described, a tube-holding vise comprising two elongated opposed elements, an endless chain arranged around each element and carrying a plurality ofvise ja'ws, the chains being adapted for cyclic/action and adapted to grip a longitudinal portion of the tube with part thereof exposed, means for moving said elements to and from each other, means for raising the tube to welding temperature, in

combination with an elongated cyclic pulling vise for moving the tube through said tube holdinggvise, and means for alining the tube holding vise with the'tube pulling vise.

18. In a welding machine, the combina-' tion of an elongated cyclic tube-holding vise formed and adapted to expose a portion of the tube, a welding torch arranged adjacent the tube-holding vise and adapted to raise the tube to welding temperature with an elongated cyclic pulling vise, power increasing and speed reducing mechanism for operating the pulling vise, and means for cou pling the pulling vise to the driving mechanism.

19. In a welding machine, the combination of an elongated cyclic tube-holding vise, formed and adapted toexpose a portion of the tube, a welding torch arranged adjacent thereto and positioned to,play a flame upon the exposed portion of the work, an elongated cyclic tube-pulling vise alined with the tube-holding vise, speed reducing mechanism for operating the pulling. vise to gether with clutch mechanism for cogipling the operating mechanism to the pulling vise, and a stand post for convenient operation of said clutc 20. In a welding machine, anelongated, tube-holding vise comprising two opposed elements, an endless chain arranged for movement around each ofithe two opposed elements, portions thereof successively moving into cippsed relation forming an elon- 115 gated wor g stretch, said elements as a whole arranged for movement to. and from each other.

21. In a device of the classdescribed,the

combination of two elongated elements ries of vise jaws arranged on each element and adapted to close in pairs successively and adapted to close in opposed pressure elements,

- aaeaeae upon an object, means for moving the two 24. In a device of the class described, the

combination of two opposed pressure elements, an endless recess in each element, an endless cyclic vise element movable around each element, a way for slidably supporting said elements, means for moving the elements to and from each'other, a-base slidaround each element, a

ably supporting the way upon which the pressure elements are mounted, and means fonmoving said base.

25. In a device of the class described, two opposed pressure elements, an endless vise element arranged on" each element, antifriction means interposed between the vise element and the pressure element, means for moving the elements to and from each other, and tubeheating means arranged over the two elements, as for the purpose 26. In amachine of the class described, an elongated cyclic vise formed to hold the work in condition to be operated upon, in combination with other means for moving the'work through said vise at a speed determined by the character of the operation to be performed thereon.

27. In a device of the class described, the,

combination of an elongated tube-holding vise comprising two block-like elements, an elongated endless chain arranged to move plurality of vise blocks arranged on each chain, the blocks .on one chain opposing those upon the other and shaped-to grip the tube with a portion thereof .exposed, and a welding torch arranged at the tube-holding Visa to play a flame upon the exposedportionof the tube.

128. In a welding device, a tube holding vise comprising two opposed elongated elements, an endless chain arranged around each element and carrying a plurality of vise jaws, the vise forming opposed pairs shaped to grip the tube through a considerable for moving the opposed elements bodily to described, two

- movement around whole arranged "each other.

' adapted to close in aws of respective chainsdistance, meansand from each other, and means for raising co the. tube to welding'temperature 29. In a welding machine, an elongated tube-holding vise comprising two opposed elements, an endless chain arranged for each of the two opposed elements, portions thereof successively movlng into opposed relation forming an elongated working stretch, said elements as a for, movement to and from 30. In a device of the class described, the comblnatlon of two elongated elements mounted for movement to and from each other, annular grooves in each of the elements, a plurahty of anti-friction rolls arranged thereon, and endless series of vise aws "arranged around each element and moving on said anti-friction rolls.

31, In a device of the class described, two opposed pressure elements, an endless series OfVlSE jawsarranged on each element and adapted to close in pairs successively upon an object, means for'moving the two elements to and from each other together with other means for movingthe two elements as an entity. v

32. In a device of the class described, two opposed pressure elements, an endless series of vise aws arranged on each element and pairs successively upon an obJect, means for moving the two elements to and from each other together with other means for moving the two elements as an entity, and anti-friction rolls interposed between the endless series of jaws andthe pressure elements. i

33. In a device of the class described, the 'comblnation of, two opposed pressure elements, an annular recess in-eachelement, an endless cyclic vise movable around each element, a way for slidably supporting said elements, means for moving ,the elements to and from each other, a base slidably supporting the way upon which the pressure elements are mounted, and means for moving said base. V r

34. 'In' a device of the class described, two opposed pressure elements, an endless vise arranged on each element, anti-friction means interposed between the vise pressure element, means for moving the elements to and from each other, and, tubeheating' means arranged over the two elements, as and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set us and, the no 

